The present invention relates to computer networks and, more specifically, to a network controller initialization.
Ethernet networks are typically employed in local area networks (LANs) that include a plurality of network switches. A number of communication protocols have been developed and continue to evolve to enhance Ethernet network performance for various environments. For example, an enhancement to Ethernet, called data center bridging (DCB), converged enhanced Ethernet (CEE) or data center Ethernet (DCE), supports the convergence of LANs with storage area networks (SANs). Other protocols that can be used in a data center environment in conjunction with Ethernet include, for instance, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), Internet Wide Area Remote direct memory access Protocol (iWARP), Remote direct memory access over Converged Ethernet (RoCE).
In an OpenFlow network environment, network switches are connected via secure links to a network controller which controls switch configuration and routing. Such a network controller typically provides such control via control data packets sent over the secure link, which maintain higher levels of data integrity than conventional Ethernet fabrics.